FORT WORTH – Officials with Stewart-Haas Racing have announced that Danica Patrick will make her debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the 54th annual Daytona 500 in February.

The announcement was made today during a news conference with the media at Texas Motor Speedway.

Patrick, who will drive the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala, will compete in 10 Sprint Cup Series races in 2012, according to car owner Tony Stewart.

“Our goal with Danica’s schedule is to try and maximize her 10 races with us so that she’s as prepared as she can possibly be for a full-time Sprint Cup schedule in 2013,” said Stewart, co-owner of SHR with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest machine tool manufacturer in the western world.

“In the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, she’ll handle short tracks, intermediate 1.5-mile ovals, and some unique tracks like Darlington and Phoenix. The point is to expose her to as many challenges as possible so that she’ll know what to expect in 2013.”

Patrick, who is a seven-year veteran of the IZOD IndyCar Series, became the first woman in series history to win a race. She is now making the full transition to stock cars in 2012 and will compete on the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule for JR Motorsports and a 10-race Sprint Cup schedule for SHR.

“Between our schedule and her full Nationwide Series schedule for JR Motorsports, Danica will gain a lot of experience quickly,” Stewart said. “At the same time, we’ll monitor her progress, and if we feel there’s a particular venue or style of track where more seat time would be beneficial, we have two races where we can call an audible and enter her in those events.”

Stewart said Patrick will make her Sprint Cup debut at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Her remaining Sprint Cup races are as follows:

Stewart said that two Sprint Cup races are to be determined, with the plan being to assess Patrick’s development in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series as the season progresses and then choose the remaining venues based on need and competitive reasoning.

“There were a lot of reasons why Stewart-Haas Racing made sense for me, but probably the biggest reason was Tony Stewart,” Patrick added. “He’s already done what I’m trying to do – make the transition from open-wheel cars to stock cars. If there’s anyone who knows what I need to do and what I need to look out for, it’s him.”

At the news conference, Patrick and Stewart unveiled the new the new GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala that Patrick will race for SHR in Sprint Cup. The car is bright green and will feature the No. 10, which Patrick used throughout her early racing career in karting before moving to Europe where she competed in Formula Ford and Formula Vauxhall – stepping-stone divisions to Formula 1.

“Long before I even came to NASCAR, I talked to Tony and used him as a sounding board, whether it was in regard to what I was doing in Indy cars or what I was thinking about doing in NASCAR,” Patrick said. “He was always honest with me and really helped prepare me for what was ahead. I know he’s going to be very involved in my Sprint Cup career, and with the conversations we’ve had with each other, we feel this schedule and this plan is the best way to get me acclimated to Sprint Cup racing as quickly as possible.”

Patrick added, “Obviously, a lot of people associate the No. 7 with me because it’s what I ran in IndyCar and it’s what I run in Nationwide. But before the No. 7, there was the No. 10. When we were talking about what number we could run in Sprint Cup, I thought it was pretty cool how Tony chose his and how Ryan (Newman) picked his. There was a connection between their numbers and their racing careers. The No. 10 is what I started with, and to have that number back with me as I start my Sprint Cup career shows how everything has come full circle. There’s definitely going to be a lot of pride when I step into my No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevy at Daytona.”

Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart show off Danica's new race car. She will compete in 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2012 and will make her debut in the series at the Daytona 500. Photo by Mike Haag/San Antonio Express-News